Canberra Raiders Cup Wrap: Awards and Finals

Mikayla Kerin

This week is a special edition of the CRRL Wrap, where last Wednesday was the night of nights for Canberra Region Rugby League (CRRL) with their annual Les McIntyre Medal Presentation Night.

There were many awards up for grabs on the night across all five competitions: First Grade, Katrina Fanning Shield (Ladies Tackle), Reserve Grade, Under 19s and League Tag 

Each division offered four categories, namely the Best and Fairest Player, Coach of the Year, Leading Points Scorer and Leading Try Scorer

Specifically in first grade, the winners were:

Best and Fairest Player (Les McIntyre Medal): Darby Medlyn

• Darby Medlyn is the Captain for the Tuggeranong Bushrangers, leading his side to a now eleven-game winning streak

• A versatile player who plays both at five-eighth and lock positions 

• He narrowly received the prestigious award by four votes and edged out his finalists Dylan Mclachlan (Captain - Blues), Ryan Mcqueen (Captain/Coach: West Belco) and Mitch Cornish (Captain - Bulldogs) 

Senior Coach of the Year: Darby Medlyn and Brendan Bradley

• Darby took out his second award of the night for his coaching efforts with his first-grade side, plus assistant coach, Brendan Bradley

Leading Points Scorer: Lucas Thomson

• The Leading Points ladder is monitored and added to throughout the season, and any final points scored don't get added

• Second rower for the Roos, Lucas Thomson, took out the award with flying colours, scoring 220 points throughout the season, while second place was hooker, Liam Oakley,  from the Bushrangers, with 126 points

Leading Try Scorer: Lachie Davis

• The Leading Try ladder is monitored and added to throughout the regular season, and any finals tries don’t get added

• Star winger for the Bushrangers, Lachie Davis, took out the award this year with 20 tries scored throughout the season

• He narrowly edged over Blues five-eighth player, Connor Williams, who finished the year with nineteen tries under his belt

Congratulations to all the award winners, and bring on the big dance!

In other news, we had the first week of finals for First Grade last weekend, with the top four teams facing off in their respective matches.

Blues in Grand Final

On Saturday, we had our Queanbeyan derby major semi-final with the Roos and Blues facing off at Seears Oval.

Blues five-eighth Connor Williams had a field day in this match, scoring three tries during the match.

This contribution led to an upset win for the Blues, with the final score being twenty-eight points to sixteen.

The Blues have now booked their spot in the Grand Final; however, the Roos will face the Bushies on Sunday.

Bushies in Prelim 

On Sunday, we had our minor semi-final with the Warriors and Bushrangers facing off at Raiders Belconnen.

The Warriors came out firing with three tries being scored, which put them in front at the halftime siren.

However, the Bushies were looking to keep their winning momentum going, and they did just that, coming out firing and flipping the script, winning the match by a narrow six points, thirty points to twenty-four. 

This match now ends the Warriors' improved 2025 season.